The Weekend
by beatrice65
Summary: Steph sees Joe and Ranger shaking hands. What's up with that? Joe takes Steph away for the weekend. She figures out the handshake too late....
1. Chapter 1

The Weekend

I rounded the corner heading to Vinnie's Bail Bonds office. I spotted Ranger, my mentor and fellow bounty hunter, and Joe Morelli, my sometimes cop boyfriend, talking. I stopped and watched before they spotted me…I think. Anyway, they shook hands and went their separate ways. That was odd. They don't have that kind of relationship. I wondered what was up. I was torn between these two guys. They were so different, yet so similar, in the best way.

Ranger had gone into the office and Morelli was walking toward his car, across the street. He spotted me and turned around. He gave me a big hug and a kiss. We were trying to patch things up after another breakup in a long string of them. "Take you for pizza tonight?" he asked. "Sure. See you at Pino's at six?" I responded. "Okay, Cupcake. See you then." Another excellent kiss and then he was gone to solve the world's problems.

I continued into the Bail Bonds office. Ranger was done with his business here. He said "yo" on his way out the door. That was it. No flirting, innuendo, or anything. Hmmm. That was odd. He usually at least breathes on me a little.

I finished work and thought I should clean up for my dinner date with Morelli. I'd missed him and figured I'd probably stay at his place tonight, so I got dressed in some sexy undies, a cute little top and skirt and heels. I packed a little bag. I'm such a slut. I'm packing a bag when all he did was ask me to eat pizza with him. Well, it's good to be prepared. I stashed the bag in my car and headed for Pino's. He was already there. He'd already ordered so the pizza came shortly after I sat at the table with him. He looked and smelled even better than the pizza.

After a few minutes of small talk we settled in to eat. I could tell he was really thinking about something. He was just being really quiet. Finally he said, "Hey, let's go away for the weekend. Can you take Friday and Monday off so we can have a nice, long weekend?" He'd never taken me anywhere for the weekend. We were both sort of homebodies. "Well, sure. I think I can take some time off. Where do you have in mind?" I quizzed him.

"A beach. I haven't been to the beach in ages. I'll pick you up Thursday night and we can have all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We'll come home on Monday and be back to work on Tuesday. How's that sound?" He seemed excited as he said this. "Sounds fine." I think I said. "What will we do with Bob? Will he go with us?" I asked. Bob was Morelli's dog. "Nah. I'll find a dogsitter."

We talked and finalized our plans. He'd pick me up at 4pm on Thursday evening. He never invited me to come to his place. What's that all about? We went our separate ways. I assumed he was working or he'd have asked me to sleep over. I went to the mall. If we were going to the beach, I needed some clothes. Especially a bathing suit.

Today was Tuesday, so I just had a couple of days to get ready.

By Thursday, I had two new bathing suits, some cute shorts, sandals, a hat, sunblock and a nice little dress I could wear if we went somewhere nice. I was packed when Bob burst through my door at 3:45. Morelli was right behind him. He looked tired. "Are you sure you want to do this? You look beat." I said. "Absolutely. I need to get away from all the wackos in this city. I figured we'd drop Bob off at my brother's house on the way to the airport. Tony said he'd watch Rex, too if you wanted." He said.

"Airport? I thought we were going to the beach. Just the shore here in Jersey." I said. "Nah, we're going to Cancun. Well, a little resort town just South of Cancun, actually. I used to go there all the time but haven't been in a few years." He responded.

He grabbed my bag while I locked my door. I'd already made arrangements for Rex to stay with Lula. He would probably come home with a lot of stories to tell me about how vermin live on the other side of the tracks. "Don't we need passports?" I don't even know where mine is. "I've got yours." He said. "Remember, you ordered it when you were living with me because you thought you should have one for chasing skips out of the country. Anyway, it came to my house and I still had it so I grabbed it when I packed mine."

"Wow, you have thought of everything." I said, in my flirtiest voice. "Wait a minute. Bob's staying with your brother Tony? Isn't he the one who is married to Medusa and they have like 11 kids?"

"Amanda just has a strong resemblance to Medusa sometimes and they only have 4 kids but they are brats and it seems like 11. I figured Bob would probably enjoy playing in a crazy house for the weekend. They are thinking of getting a dog and I think Bob could change their mind." Joe said.

After dropping Bob off, we shot to the airport, hopped a plane and were in Cancun by midnight. I didn't know Joe spoke Spanish but he managed to get us into a scary taxi and to the resort so I guess he did well enough. We walked into our little cottage around 1:30 a.m. Trenton time. We could hear the steel drum band still playing on the beach. Our room was clean and quaint. Mexican tile floors supported a nice king sized bed. An air conditioner whined ineffectively in the background. There was no TV or telephone. This was remote. There was a small bathroom with a big shower on one end of the room and a little patio outside on the other end. I'd never been anywhere like this. Seemed like fun.

Chapter 2 – Friday

We were both bushed so we didn't even fool around that first night. We just went to sleep and stayed that way until the birds singing woke us up on Friday morning. The room was cool and dark. Joe was warm and sexy. He knew how to make me really happy that I had taken the trip with him. When he finally got out of the bed and threw on a t shirt and shorts, my head was hanging off the foot of the bed. I was face down and my fingers were skimming the floor. He shoved his feet into flip flops, threw a cap on his head and went in search of breakfast. I don't think I had moved a muscle before he returned. I was hoping this place had donuts. He threw me a big t shirt I planned to use as a beach coverup and told me to come outside so we could have breakfast on the patio. It was gorgeous out there. We had a great view of the beach, and our own hammock next to the deck. It was shaded by large palm trees and hibiscus bushes that were blooming profusely.

He'd found the Mexican equivalent of Boston Cremes. They were hot, fried squares filled with some gooey vanilla flavored stuff and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Yum. I sat with my feet up in another chair, not remembering that all I had on was the t shirt so the view must have given Morelli some ideas to follow up on before we hit the beach. Afterwards, we took a quick shower and dressed in swim trunks and flip flops. We headed out the door and walked the short distance to the water. The sand was fine and light. Joe had gone earlier and claimed a little beach cabana for us to use for shade.

By the time he got me all rubbed up with sunscreen I would gladly have gone back to the room with him for another roll in the hay, but he said he was going for a run on the beach. I declined to join him; happy to stay in the shade and relax. He kicked off his flip flops, put on his shades and hit the trail. He was gorgeous. Every woman within 5 miles was watching him run. I felt really lucky that he was coming back to share a cabana with me and thankful for the 3 orgasms he'd already had this morning because he could have taken his pick of lovlies on the beach.

He returned about an hour later. I was well into my magazine stack and he was sweating and glistening in the sun. He was drinking a Corona and brought me a frothy pink tropical drink with a pineapple garnish. He also had a little collection of coral pieces and shells he'd picked up during his run. I knew he was happy. He was like a little kid here. We hung out a little while longer and before lunch started calling my name. We strolled down to a little beach bar and had burgers and beer.

"Let's take a swim," he suggested. "Oh, I'm not much of a swimmer. I'll just watch you." I said. He had no idea how terrified I was of the water. "Oh, come on. Take off that cover up and come with me." He urged. "Okay – but don't splash me or try to drown me." Because you'll probably succeed, I thought.

Morelli was so sweet. He grabbed a floating raft and helped me get on. He then waded out to about chest height and just paddled around with me. He was talking about the water and pointing out different types of boats and things. I really liked this side of him, but I'd never seen it in all the time we'd been together. He's a great kisser and of course we got carried away and I fell in the water, but he rescued me and helped me back on the raft. We played for a while and then headed back for dry ground. He parked me at the cabana and went back to the bar for another pink drink for me. I couldn't taste the alcohol so he was either getting them without or I would be wasted in no time.

We hung around for a while and then retreated to the room for a shower and a nap. Of course, Morelli never sleeps long. He was ready to go outside again in no time. I told him to go ahead while I slept.

It was relaxing, just being here with him. Nobody else. No confusion. No competition. No FTAs. No gun wielding maniacs. Speaking of guns, I guess we didn't even have one with us. Hmm, that was sort of a strange feeling. We always had guns with us. They were just a part of our lives. I was sort of getting a creepy feeling. What if I needed a gun? Where would I get one?

My panic was interrupted when Morelli knocked on the patio door. I went to let him in. He was wet from swimming again. He grabbed my hand and said, "Let's take a walk. There's a little village up the road a little bit. We can check out the local cuisine and find something to do tonight." "Let me put on some shoes and do my makeup." I said. "No makeup. This weekend, it's just you and me. I like you without makeup." He was smiling that wonderful smile and I knew he meant what he said. I grabbed my shoes and put them on while walking toward the road. I was wearing a tank top and shorts with sandals. He was still in his swimming trunks, which were drying in the hot afternoon sun. He had tossed on a t-shirt and was wearing deck shoes that looked like they'd seen a lot of decks. I was terrified what my hair looked like since I'd just put it in a pony tail after the shower. His was curling over his forehead and around his ears. Very sexy.

There was a nice little village market where the locals were selling their wares. In one of the makeshift huts there was a woman selling beautiful silk sarongs. Morelli steered me over and said, "Let's pick one out. You'd look great in one of these. I like this blue one – matches your eyes." The woman showed me how to tie it into a little dress and I felt pretty. Morelli was holding my hand as we stolled through the rest of the little village. We ate fish tacos while sitting on a low wall and drinking Corona. By now, the sun was starting to set. The view on the water was breathtaking. We just sat in silence for quite a while. His arm was around me and I was sort of snuggled into his neck. We heard the band kick into gear. Probably the same one we heard the night before. Today had been great.

The mosquitos were biting and we headed back to the room to get some repellent. Morelli stopped along the way to buy a couple of bottles of water to keep in the room. "Can't get dehydrated. When you are drinking a lot of alcohol, even over a long period of time, you have to drink at least the same amount of water or you are in trouble, especially with this kind of heat." "How did you learn that?" I asked. "I learned a lot about alcohol in the Navy and even more in private research studies." He grinned.

We sat on the patio outside our cottage. It was nice out here and we could hear the water lapping at the beach even though it was too dark to see.

"You don't talk much about the Navy." I said. He blew out a big sigh and replied, "I was a dumb kid when I went in. You know that from firsthand experience, unfortunately. I grew up a lot while I was there. I found some mentors and guys I really looked up to. That's when I decided to be a cop. I needed the structure and the rigidity. Took me a while to get my head on straight personally so at least my work was solid and I found things that I was good at like organization, reading people, research, and investigation."

Morelli moved to the hammock and I joined him. He nestled me into him and I felt secure and happy. The night creatures were singing. "Do you feel sort of naked without your gun?" I asked. "No, but I intend to help you feel naked." He said as his fingers started untying my sarong. I'd never done this in a hammock. Or outside. I felt a bit vulnerable while he continued to undress me. Oh well, it is dark, and there's no other cottage like right next door, they are a good 100 yards apart or so. And there's all these trees. What the heck.

Chapter 3

Saturday

Saturday was much the same as Friday. I felt more rested so I wanted to get out and explore more. I even swam without benefit of flotation devices. I felt a rush of excitement every time I saw the hammock. I never thought about there being places in the world where you could make hot monkey love outside without getting arrested. No doubt about it, Morelli was a different guy here than he was at home. He was playful, and intense at the same time.

By the end of the day, the little pile of shells and coral between our towels had grown larger and more interesting looking. Each item was so unique. So pretty. Just the wonder of nature was pretty cool.

"I'm going diving in the morning." Joe told me. "Do you want to go?"

"I don't know how to dive. I think I'd be scared to do it." I said.

He replied, "You could just go on the boat and hang out on deck if you want. Do you like boats?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't been on many of them." I responded.

"Think about it. I'd like for you to come. We are going to some really nice spots. You won't be in the way."

I would have to think about it. As freaky as I am about the water, did I really want to be out there in a boat? Surrounded by fish and assorted sea creatures? Isn't that what they look at when they dive? This didn't sound fun to me.

We wandered into town to hunt down the band we'd been hearing. They were in full swing when we got there. It was a sort of a night spot on the beach. Joe paid the cover charge and got us some drinks. Mine was another fruit concoction. "How come I have been able to drink so much and not lose it like I do at home?" I asked. "I just have them make it with half the alcohol they normally use. I want you to have a good time and be able to remember the trip when we go home. You couldn't do that if you were drinking full force." He admitted.

After a couple of half the alcohol drinks I was still feeling pretty good. I was wearing my sarong dress and Joe had some khaki shorts and a silk print shirt on. He looked great. There were couples dancing and I surprised even myself when I got lost in the music and grabbed Joe's hand to dance. "Hey, you are good at this," I cooed in his ear as we swayed together, no space between our bodies. "I would tell you I learned how to do this in the Navy, too, but that sounds funny. I think I'll go with the 'private research' line on dancing." He said with a big smile.

We stayed late. I hadn't been out this late in a long time – at least not on a date. Doing surveillance or making late night cookie runs are the only reasons I tend to get out after midnight. Joe was charming and smart. Why had I ever thought we couldn't make this work? Oh, yeah. Work. That's right. This isn't the real world. This is just a weekend. Don't get carried away, Stephanie. I had a feeling that if he didn't pop the question this weekend I may beg him to marry me before we went back home. Surely, that's not what this is all about. I dismissed the thought.

"Do you still think about us getting married?" Oh, shit. Had I said that out loud? "Only every day." He said, smiling down at me as we walked hand in hand back toward our room. Well, this is awkward, I thought. Why did I say that? What should I say now? He wasn't saying anything either. Maybe if I stay quiet he'll forget I said it. "Do you?" he finally prompted me to speak. "Well, sometimes. I have been thinking about it a lot today…" I admitted.

We were passing the resort's pool about this time. Morelli guided me to a chaise lounge and took a seat in the one next to it. We laid side by side and stared into the beautiful stars in the night sky. They were so bright and brilliant out here in the darkness. You just don't seem them look this way in the city.

"Well, I wasn't going to bring up marriage on this trip. If it's right, I think you'll know it. The last thing I want to do is pressure you into making a decision you can't live with. I love you and you know that. I don't want to wreck it by forcing the issue. You don't like pressure so I have tried hard to stop pushing. I hope you've noticed. I think marriage can be heaven or hell. If we find ourselves in hell I don't want it to have been because I pushed you through the door. I want you to walk willingly through it on your own two feet. That's the only way a couple can make it through those hellish times and work their way back to the heavenly side."

"Wow." That was a pretty profound speech for 1 a.m. on a Sunday morning. "I think you've thought about that for a while." I said.

"Oh, I have. I've witnessed it with my own family. My dad died when I was really young but I do know that one person wanting a marriage doesn't work. Both people have to work at it every day or it can be miserable. I hate to say it, but my mom had to be relieved when my dad died. He wasn't out running around on her anymore. He wasn't racking up debt that he couldn't service anymore and he wasn't beating her up anymore. I think that's why I made the decision to live my life my own way instead of the way most of the guys in my family do. I don't know why a man would marry a woman if he didn't intend to treat her with respect and love. I know some of my relatives who have been with their girlfriends longer than they have been with their wives. Why would you do that? You can't be happy all the time, but there has to be enough foundation of love between you to make it worth hanging around." He paused, "I must have had more to drink than I thought. I don't think I've ever talked to anyone about stuff like that."

I was speechless. I'd never thought about Morelli's life and why he felt so strongly about his convictions before now. My life had been peachy even with my divorce from Dicky.

"Let's go back to the room, okay?" I asked.

When we made love that night, Joe was gentle and patient. He was almost vulnerable feeling. Emotions can do some bizarre things to a person. He was still incredible.

Chapter 4

Sunday

"What is that noise?" I asked. "Travel clock" Joe replied as he rolled out of bed and shut off the alarm. "Why? It feels like we just went to sleep." I said. "My dive is at 6:30. We've got to get ready." He said.

"No wonder it feels like we just went to sleep. It was like 4 a.m. when we went to sleep and now it is 6. Are you crazy?" I asked. "Nope. I just like diving. We can sleep when we get back. Come on. Please?" He was asking nicely.

I drug myself up. I stepped into the shower automatically. I don't know why. I was just going to go sweat on an icky boat. I put on a swim suit and threw my hair up in a knot under a cap. "Ready." I said, begrudgingly. He gave me a wonderful kiss and said "Thanks for coming with me. It will be fun."

It was fun, sort of. I liked the boat as long as I avoided thinking about the fish in the water. There were 8 passengers and 2 crew members. The crew bustled around. Joe was a pretty experienced diver, I guess. He didn't need help like the others so he was out of the boat and gone with his assigned partner pretty quickly. I had stripped off my coverup and was just laying out on the deck. There was a little blonde trophy wife who was also not diving. She had been flirting with Joe like crazy since we had left the dock. I think her elderly husband was deaf and didn't know what she was doing. He was still diving, however, so he probably wasn't as old as I thought. Another couple was on their honeymoon so they made out all the way to the dive site. I figured if they could, they would do more underwater.

After a couple of hours, we were ready to head back. Joe settled in beside me and brushed the stray hair out of my eyes. Again, he looked happy and relaxed. I was sure I loved him. I was still thinking about his speech last night. Wow. How did I feel about this? While the boat sped and bumped across the water, I nestled into Joe. He was smiling and talking to the others on the boat. He is just a nice guy isn't he? I thought. What's not to love?

We showered together in the big, open shower in our room. I'm pretty sure there are still marks on a towel rack from where I gripped it while Joe made himself useful. There may even be teeth marks on it. I really can't remember. We took a long nap afterwards.

The last night there was heavenly. We danced, and drank, and ate, and made love in the hammock again. It was perfect.

Chapter 5

Monday

We had to leave at 9 a.m. to catch our plane home. I didn't want to go. Bob was waiting for Morelli and was thrilled to see us. Surprisingly, Joe dropped me off at my apartment. He gave me a kiss that wouldn't be forgotten. As he left he'd handed me a little bag. I looked inside. It was full of shells, and bits of coral. His treasures from the beach.

"I had fun. See you later, Cupcake." And then he went home.

What was this? I expected him to ask me to move back in with him. I probably would have gone. I was ready to marry him. Today. Tomorrow. Anytime.

I was bewildered. Not for long.

Chapter 6

Tuesday

Ranger stepped up behind me in the Bail Bonds office. "Yo, Babe." "Yo, Ranger." I said, smiling. I wasn't flirting. I will not do that anymore. That will not get me anywhere with Morelli except into that hellish spot he talked about. The flirting with Ranger was definitely cheating. I was not going to cheat anymore.

"I'd like to take you away for the weekend." He started.

"What? Where?" I questioned. "To the city (NYC). We could have some nice meals, see some shows, and just talk." He said, with a big smile on his face.

"Did you and Morelli make a deal? Is that what the handshake was about last week?"

Another smile from Ranger, "May the best man win. We each get one weekend with you and you have a decision to make when we get home."


	2. Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement for The Weekend

"You sorry son of a bitch!" I was screaming and grabbing for my handbag. I needed to get out of the office. Fast. I wanted to punch Ranger in the face, but I didn't think it would turn out well for me. "You and Morelli made a deal that I would be a prize in some stupid contest?"

"No. Not exactly. I really thought Morelli had already talked to you about this. Look, I don't have time to talk to you about this now. I guess I should have realized you wouldn't take it well. We really didn't mean for it to be a contest, exactly." I'd never seen Ranger look so nervous; he almost had an 'oh shit' look on his face. "I have a meeting with my investors. Can I talk to you about this tonight?" Ranger was holding my arm and looking serious. He wasn't yelling. He never did. He was speaking in hushed tones and trying to calm me. "If you don't want to wait until tonight, talk to Morelli. He could probably explain it better than I could anyway. You guys have more history talking about 'relationships' than you and I do."

"Wait a minute. You drop a bombshell like that on me and expect me to just go on my merry way? You are delusional! Besides – you don't want a relationship, remember?"

"Look, I've got to go. Really, I can see you are really pissed. Call Morelli. He can tell you the whole story. I really thought he had already told you. I'm sorry. Talk to you tonight?" He seriously looked kind of panicked. I liked this.

"Doubtful." I said. "Pretty sure I'm not talking to either of you ever again." Then he frowned, and tried to kiss me on the cheek. I just ducked under his arm and walked out the door. Batman was bat-screwy if he thought I was going to act like this was okay. I am not a carnival prize.

There was a lot of background noise when Morelli answered his cell phone. "You sorry son of a bitch!" I screamed. I thought that phrase had summed up my feelings quite well when I'd said it to Ranger 5 minutes ago. No response. Just a lot of background noise. "Morelli?" I asked.

"Yeah. I guess you've talked to Ranger." He sounded pretty sheepish. "I think I can explain. Probably not now. We are pulling a couple of bodies out of a boat at the marina, so I am pretty busy."

"Oh, now you're busy. Well you weren't too busy to bullshit me all weekend. All that talk about your views on respect for the person you want to marry and then come to find out I am a prize in a contest. I wouldn't marry you now if you were the last guy on earth. And to think I really had my feelings hurt that you dropped me off at my apartment and didn't ask me to move back in with you or even to propose to me. I'm so stupid that I didn't see through you. I can't believe I've wasted so much time with you." I hadn't realized that I'd stopped screaming and had started crying.

"Okay. Calm down. I'm at a disadvantage here. I don't think Ranger must have told you what happened between us and I really have to go because I'm the lead on this case. I don't have a backup or I would leave it with someone else and come see you. I can rush it and meet you in two hours. Your place?"

I couldn't even respond. I was just sobbing and gulping air. He said, "Shit" And disconnected.

I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to see Ranger. I was furious and hurt and felt like I'd lost my last friend. Or at least my two very best ones. I felt betrayed – This was worse than when Dickie screwed around on me. Ugh!

I had to pull my car over a couple of times on the way to my apartment because I couldn't see through the tears. I must have had a bit of a temper tantrum because I beat on my steering wheel hard enough to make the airbag deploy. After fighting through it, I was almost home, so I just parked the car and walked the last block.

I drug myself up the stairs because I didn't want to run into anyone in the elevator. I just collapsed on my bed and sobbed. I was still there when I heard the lock on my front door pop open. Morelli was already taking his key to my apartment off the keychain when I got there. "Guess you'll be wanting this." He said. Me motioned me over to the living room. I sat in the chair and drew my legs up in front of me so I was basically in a fetal position. Defensive stance all the way.

He started out, "I'm sorry you are so upset. Let me tell you the whole story. Please?" He didn't wait for a response. He just plowed in. I stared at his shoes while he talked. What ugly shoes.

"Well", he said, dragging his fingers through his hair – which was too long for Trenton but had been sexy as hell in Cancun. "Let me just tell you this. You'll need to reserve comment until I'm done because I don't think I can debate the points with you until you see the whole thing." I wasn't used to seeing Ranger or Morelli acting so nervous. Morelli's hands were trembling a little and I detected a little quiver in his voice like he was scared I was going to spring on him like a cougar. Smart man.

"Okay, Ranger called me a couple of weeks ago and said he wanted to talk about you. You are my favorite subject, you know, so I said okay." He was trying to get me to smile. He wasn't succeeding.

"We met for drinks at O'Kelly's that night. Ranger had the big booth in the back corner in the dark – you know how he is. Anyway, I sat down and he basically told me that he thought I wasn't being fair to you." He looked at me to gauge my reaction. I must admit this wasn't what I had expected to hear.

"He said that he wanted a chance to be with you without me in the picture. I knew there had been some advances on his part and had assumed that you had just said no, but I was starting to doubt it because every time I walked into the Locker Room at the PD the entire place fell silent. It isn't like they could say anything I didn't already know. I mean I hear all the rumors about the two of you but I try to trust you. I don't trust him, but I try to trust you." I was really staring at his shoes now because I was embarrassed about Joe having to put up with hearing the gossip about my flirting with Ranger and vice-versa.

"Finally one of my buddies sat me down and told me that a friend of his works at Rangeman. This friend was talking about your clandestine visits to Rangers apartment. I have to tell you I was pretty upset. Anyway, Ranger told me at O'Kelly's that your response to him was always that you felt guilty because of your relationship with me. Well, Cupcake, I have to say, I was not happy about that choice of words. Guilt isn't love. You weren't saying no because you were being faithful, or saying no because you were happy with me, but you were just feeling guilty. I wanted to talk to you about it but didn't really know how."

He looked like he had tears in his eyes now. He blew out a long breath and stood up to sort of pace around as he continued.

"I'm just ready for this cat and mouse thing to be finished. I hope you are, too. I asked him what he wanted to do about it. He said he wanted me to back out of your life and basically give you permission to be with him. While I told him that I really didn't think I could do that, the word 'guilty' just kept pounding in my brain. Okay, so I said we needed to frame some rules around this thing. Just like I told you in Cancun, I don't want you to feel trapped – or guilty – I want you to want to be with me, or decide that you don't want to be with me and we can get on with our lives."

"Rules?" I said. Speaking for the first time in this discussion.

"Yeah. We talked about it a bit. I stipulated that all contact had to be out of town. The last thing I wanted was to see you out with him or to see him when you were supposed to be with me. Or to hear any more rumors – so he couldn't tell anyone about it. That's not hard for Ranger, he never tells anyone anything. He stipulated that I couldn't ask you to marry me during the weekend." Morelli was smiling that nice smile now. "I guess he thought I may bring you home from the weekend with a ring on your hand and he would miss his chance." Good thinking, Ranger. That's exactly what would have happened if you hadn't thought it through.

"To make a really long, sick story shorter, we both agreed that you needed to make a decision and that you should be able to do it based on the man you wanted to be with, not on feelings of guilt or obligation. We both realize that you may choose not to be with either of us. Basically, I am looking for an all or nothing **forever** commitment. I don't think that's what Ranger wants but he does want a chance with you where guilt isn't a factor and you can feel free to be with him and not really think that you are cheating on me. I'm not being naïve. I know you'll have sex with him. I really thought I was being generous here, to tell you the truth. I can't imagine any other scenario when I would tell the woman I want to marry to go on a 4 day sex-fest with another guy." If he was waiting for a pat on the back, he was going to be disappointed. Besides, I was too embarrassed to make eye contact with him. I'm sure he was hoping I would jump in here and say 'no, I would never want to have sex with Ranger.' Fat chance.

"I know it's funny for me to tell you to go away with him and then hope you'll come back to me. However, I think our weekend and our general history is pretty damn fantastic. I have some confidence about this."

"It really didn't sound all that barbaric when we set it up, but now seeing it from your perspective, I'm sure it was stupid. We met the next day to finalize it. We called our little contract the rules of engagement – a little pun…." He smiled at me, but I still didn't smile back.

"The plan was that I was supposed to talk to you about this before 7pm tonight then he could bring it up after that. So, Ranger jumped the gun by asking you to go this morning. Apparently Batman doesn't go by the same calendar I do. Anyway, I can't keep going on a relationship that is only fortified by guilt. For my wish to ever come true, it has to be what you want."

He cleared his throat. "So, here's the rules:

1. We each get 4 uninterrupted days – 96 hours. Basically, you and I left your apartment at 4 on Thursday so I had to get you back here by 4 on Monday.

2. I wanted to go first so that I could basically have a clean break. This discussion is all about me breaking it off with you. When I walk out the door I will not be your boyfriend. That way you can feel free to go and not feel pressured by me at all. If you decide to come back to me, it will be just like we had taken one of our little breaks that we take all the time anyway.

3. Neither of us are to contact you after Ranger's weekend. That puts you in the driver's seat. You are not to contact either of us for at least 7 days after that weekend either.

"So," he said, "that's it. The whole story. I don't expect you to like it, and I'm sure you are still mad at me but at least we got to have a nice weekend together. If I have to settle for that to be my last one with you, I guess I have to live with that. I just don't want to share you anymore and I don't want you to feel guilty or pressured between us anymore. We both love you, albeit in different ways. We both want you to be happy."

He reached across the gap between us and took my hand. "I am asking you, as a favor to me, go with him. Have a good time. Don't let guilt enter your mind. I'm working two independent multiple homicides right now. I'll be more than busy for the next couple of weeks anyway."

He got to his feet again, wiped the perspiration from his hands on his jeans, I guess he'd been pretty nervous telling me about this. I could see in his face he was trying to read my emotion.

"Can I at least have a goodbye kiss?" He asked with his arms open to me. "Sure," I stood. He folded me into his long arms and gave me a great kiss. "I love you." He said. "Joe, I love you, too." I said as he held me. He smiled a big smile and said, "And now I'm dumping you. It's over between us. You understand?" "I understand." I said. "Talk to you in a couple of weeks."

He'd only been gone a minute when I called him on his cell phone. "Miss me?" He answered.

I asked him, "If I do this, are you sure you will be able to forgive me? I mean, you know, after?"

"Cupcake, I'm still pretty sure I've slept with more women than you have men. This is just another notch on your bedpost. As long as it is the last one you have, I think I can handle it." I could hear the smile in his voice, but I knew he didn't mean it. This was bothering him a lot. He didn't know that Ranger counted for about 100 New Jersey barfly notches on his bedpost.

I hung up and tried to think. Not for long. Ranger walked in my door.


	3. The Transition

The Transition – The Weekend

Just as Ranger shut my door, his cell phone rang. "It's Morelli," he said. "Should I answer it?"

"Be my guest." I was still a bit pissed at Ranger. This whole stupid thing was his idea. Morelli was being a really nice guy and going along with it, I think. If I had dreamed up something this stupid Morelli would have locked me in the cellar and chained me to his furnace.

"Yo," Ranger said to Morelli. Stephanie can't hear Morelli's response: "Okay – I told her everything we agreed to tell her and I left out the one point we decided to keep quiet. You'd better make the best of this chance, you sorry SOB, because this is it. I'm doing this for Stephanie, you know, not for you. I could have handled it a lot better if you hadn't screwed up the timing on asking her to go." "I understand." Ranger responded before disconnecting the call.

"So," he said to me, "Do you feel better than when we last talked?"

"I'm not mad at Morelli anymore. You, I may need to say a few things to." I responded.

"Go ahead. I'm a big boy. I can take it." He said.

"What ever possessed you to go to Morelli and ask him to do this? What were you thinking?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking that he isn't stupid and he probably knew what was going on anyway. I was correct. I also have more respect for him than to ask you to go away for a romantic weekend with me without telling him I was going to ask you first. I would have asked you anyway, I just thought it would be easier for you to go and enjoy yourself if you had his blessing. You never turn me down, you know, so I thought you'd go but then I knew the Morelli cloud would still be hanging over your head while we were there." I could tell Ranger was being honest. What a pushover I am for him. He's right. I probably would have gone anyway. This wasn't his fault or Morelli's. It was mine. I had enjoyed the little competition and sort of got a rush out of the fact that neither of them really knew what my relationship with the other was like.

When I was with Ranger, it was stolen moments. Dark places, mostly electrical heat and no consequences. He'd said there would never be a pricetag. Morelli's and my relationship was different. We'd been together for a long time. Everyone in both of our families considered us an old married couple. The sex is great, but it doesn't have the spark and sizzle of a new encounter. We just expected the other one to be there when we wanted to see them. I guess this is how affairs get started.

"Well," I said, "I'm going to need some time to get my head on straight about this. This morning I was writing wedding vows and if Morelli didn't get on the ball, I was going to ask him to marry me. Now you expect me to put all that on the back burner and shift gears back to neutral."

"I don't want you in neutral, Babe. I want you in Drive." Ranger was smiling.

I told him I needed to think and I'd let him know tomorrow. We walked out together. He honored the agreement with Morelli. He was saving it all up for the 96 hour window. He didn't even touch me before he drove away. I got in my car and went to the Tasty Pastry. I needed brain food.

"Omigod," exclaimed Mary Lou. "You are kidding me. They didn't do this to you."

"Yes." I said. "They did. The biggest thing I am worried about is that I will spend the entire Ranger weekend comparing it to the Morelli weekend. I know the elements will be different – I mean how can you compare a fish taco and beer to some fancy-schmancy place that Ranger takes me, but those choices say a lot about the man, too. Morelli is a fish taco and beer kind of guy and Ranger….isn't….but I don't really know what kind of guy he is."

"Well, when I am trying to make a decision I always write down pros and cons on a paper and try to reason it out. Would that work?" Mary Lou was trying to be helpful.

"What, like, if I took notes or something? That would be weird." I responded.

"Not while you are there! You should do it after you get home. Just think of things that you could compare about the two of them and then write it all down. They said you had a week to make up your mind, right?"

"What would I put on the list – anatomical comparisons? I already know that and they are pretty darn comparable in the very best way possible. Morelli has better….eyes. Ranger has better….hair." I didn't want to freak Mary Lou out any more than she already was.

"No, I mean, like, who makes you feel best about yourself? Who do you feel most comfortable with. Who do you laugh with the most. Believe it or not, after being married for a long time, being able to laugh together is more important, sometimes, than almost anything else."

Well, I thought, that's a good idea. I can go with that.

I went ahead and called Ranger. "So, when do we leave?"

"I'll have a car pick you up Thursday evening at 7pm. I'll already be in the city for a meeting that day. Wear something casual. We'll go out to dinner after you get to the room." He continued. "Don't worry about buying new clothes for the evenings we are going out, I have contacted a service and sent them your vital statistics, so to speak. You will have an entire wardrobe waiting for you upon arrival."

This is sounding WAY to 'Pretty Woman' to me already. I hope he didn't expect me to look like Julia Roberts by Thursday.

"Okay. I'll see you then." I said.

"Babe."


	4. Ranger?

Ranger – The Weekend

Thursday

A knock on my door at promptly 7pm sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I had told everyone I knew that I was 'getting away for the weekend' without giving away any details to anyone except Mary Lou and she'd been sworn to secrecy. I thought there was a good chance that she wouldn't even tell anyone. She has wanted me to be successfully paired off with someone (only one someone) for a long time.

A nice looking Asian woman named Alice was my driver. She took my bags to the waiting car. Even though Ranger had said he was arranging a wardrobe, I wanted to make sure I had everything I may need so I had packed a few of my own things, too. It was a nice limo; silver and sleek. She put me in the back, pointed out the bar and showed me how to work the controls for the electronics. She said our trip would take around 2 hours at this time on a Thursday evening.

When we reached New York City, I was reminded what a wonderful, magical place it can be. She pulled up to the Fulton hotel where my door was opened and I stepped out. Ranger had said to dress casually and I took that to mean a nice skirt, heels and a little white knit top. I was still much more casually dressed than the other people in the lobby. I'd never stayed anywhere remotely as nice as this. I could probably pay my monthly rent for what one night here would cost. I figured Ranger would be bleeding cash this weekend. He had relatively extravagant taste most of the time and if he was going to wine and dine me, he'd be going to the extreme. Lucky me.

I went to the penthouse as directed by the chauffeur. I was assured my bags would be taken care of. I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach and then I rang the bell. Tank opened the door. Hmmm. I thought this was a secret. "Hi, Tank. How are you?" I'm sure I was blushing. I was really shocked to see him and I was really embarrassed that Ranger had told Tank what was going on.

"Come in. Ranger's still on a conference call with an investment group in California. He'll be done soon. If you want something to drink there's a stocked bar over there." He indicated the bar was by the windows. He went back to the telephone where I assume he was listening in on Ranger's call.

This was funny. I was looking around and noticed this suite had an odd configuration. I was in a living room, sort of. It had two beautiful sofas, facing each other, with a coffee table in the middle. The entire room was done in Tuscan gold with beautiful amethyst accents. There was, indeed, a wet bar to the side, near a floor to ceiling bank of windows across one wall. A galley kitchen next to it seemed to have all kinds of goodies stacked in baskets on the bar – chips, fruit, sweets, nuts. There were what appeared to be two bedrooms on one side of the rectangular room and at least two more on the long wall. There was a closed door on that wall, too. I assumed it was either a closet or another bedroom.

Hal was pacing back and forth in one of the rooms while talking on his cell. He was bare-chested, displaying a huge tattoo of a dragon that wrapped around his torso. Interesting. I'd have never guessed. I was staring at it when he suddenly turned around and saw me. He smiled and waved. I was embarrassed that I was caught gawking. I gave him a little finger wave and headed for the bar.

I grabbed a beer and started thinking, is this Rangeman headquarters of NYC? Are we sharing a suite with all these guys? If so, I certainly wasn't going to wear the nighties I had packed in my bag! I was wishing I hadn't agreed to this at all. A sinking feeling told me this wasn't exactly what I'd expected it to be.

I drained the beer pretty quickly, thinking I needed some fortification if I was going to get through this experience. I got a bottle of water, remembering what Morelli had told me about drinking too much. Oh, crap! I'd promised myself I wouldn't think about him on this trip. I think the only time Ranger crossed my mind in Cancun was when someone who looked remotely like him was laying out in the neighboring cabana. Okay, Steph, stop it. Focus.

I studied the pictures on the walls. Standard hotel fare, it seemed. About that time, I noticed Tank going into the room with Hal and closing the door behind him. Ranger opened up the mystery door and came out to greet me. I suppose the conference call is over. He looked a little frazzled and a bit tired. His hair was down and hanging around his shoulders. I had seen him pull it out of the pony tail and ruffle it out around his face when he was frustrated before and that's what he looked like now. Ooh. He looked very sexy. "Babe. Sorry for the delay." He seemed grim. He was dressed in army green SWAT. Hmmm, okay, he's even more casual than me.

"I have a couple more things to do here and then we'll go to our hotel so I can clean up and then we can go get something to eat. It will probably be another hour or so before we make it to a restaurant so in case you are starving, I had Ella bring in some of your favorite goodies over there. If you need anything else, she's around here somewhere. She'll be glad to help you." Then he turned and went back into the mystery door which looked sort of like a smaller version of the Trenton command center.

Well, this isn't getting off with a bang. At least it sounded like we weren't staying here. He had said we would go to 'our' hotel. That gave me a light at the end of the tunnel. Ella appeared at the door with bags in her arms. I went to help her but Cal appeared in the hallway behind her and had already taken her packages by the time I got there. Wow. Who's watching Trenton tonight?

"Hi, Ella. I didn't know I'd see you here." I liked Ella. She was a nice lady and took care of arranging food, general housekeeping and personal errands for Ranger and the guys.

"Yes. Ranger asked me to come take care of the things the crew might need while they are working this special project. Have you seen your room? It's lovely. I hope we got you everything you need." She said as the bustled around unpacking the packages she'd brought in. "Ranger asked me to give this to you when I saw you." It was a beautifully wrapped box. Small but long, like a jewelry box of some sort. "Thank you. I'll wait until later to open it." I stammered. Why would he ask Ella to give me a gift from him? This seemed bizarre. A bit more than a personal errand, I thought.

I guess I was getting disappointed. I had expected him to sweep me off my feet; to ply me with gifts himself) and to 'ruin me for all other men' like he had previously advertised. What's up with this? She'd said there was a special project going on. I didn't know what to think. I plopped down on one of the sofas and was about to ask Tank if there was something I could do to help them since they seemed so busy.

Ranger's voice boomed behind me. "Come on, Babe, let's go." I hadn't seen him come up and it startled me. "Okay." I said. "I'm ready." I grabbed my purse and followed him.

We walked to the elevator and waited for the doors to close. He took me in his arms. All of his frustration and anxiety made the kiss he gave me carry a sense of extreme urgency. This is more like it! His hands were on my back, rubbing me everywhere. I was breathless when the doors opened. I reluctantly pulled away from him. Okay, I can deal with this...If I can remember how to walk I'll be doing fine.

The same car and driver was waiting for us outside. Without a word, she whisked us off for a short ride, maybe 15 minutes or so, to the Russell Manor House. His cell phone had rung as soon as we got into the car so we hadn't spoken on the trip. He had played absently with my knee and let his hand wander up my thigh a bit while he was talking. My thoughts were soon drifting away from my stomach and moving about a foot lower.

The Russell Manor House was a much smaller hotel, it seemed, than the Fulton. It looked very posh and was decorated in a Colonial style. It was very pretty but not at all where I expected Ranger to be staying. My doubts were quelled when we walked straight through the main lobby and to a private elevator in the back. It took us up, again, to the Penthouse. It was decorated in modern décor with a great deal of chrome and black leather. Accent pillows and flowers were all in ivory and pewter. This is more what I was expecting. "Is this the New York Batcave?" I asked – trying to flirt.

"I told you, you don't get to see the Batcave unless you are moving in for good." He responded with a smile. I forgot that he always wins when I try to play with him.

I remembered the box Ella had given me. "Oh, can I open this now?" I asked.

"What is it?" Ranger asked, looking for some clothes to change into.

"Well, Ella said you told her to give it to me. Don't you know what it is?"

"Oh, Probably. Ella's a bit of a romantic. Open it, but don't be disappointed. It's nothing." Well, I opened it and it wasn't what I expected but it was something. It was a beautifully engraved silver keychain that had a remote key fob and a plastic pass key on it. The keychain itself said "Babe" on it. "The remote will call the elevator and bring you up to this floor in this building. The plastic pass key will get you into the Rangeman office we just left. The key chain must have been her idea." He said, still smiling.

"Oh, will we be spending much time at the office?" I asked, hoping he would say no.

"I hope not. Things have been hectic. We are having a number of serious operational issues right now. I asked her to give you a key in case I got called in for an emergency. That way you can come and go as you please and not be stuck waiting on me."

"Oh. Okay." I was hoping the disappointment wasn't noticeable in my voice. I wanted him all to myself this weekend. I think. I guess that was too much to expect. "Are we going to eat? I'm starving." Having had 10 minutes without Ranger's hands on me had allowed the blood to make it back to my stomach.

"Yes, let me shower and change clothes. I'll be right back with you," he said. "I would invite you into the shower with me, but I know you are hungry and I don't want to feel rushed with you this weekend." He was smiling broadly. "Make yourself comfortable. I won't be long."

I started looking around the room. It was, again, a sumptuous suite. This time, only one bedroom, thank goodness and no half-dressed hulking, tattooed merry men hanging around, except Ranger. A little stocked bar, a fruit basket and some candies were arranged pleasantly on one end of the living area. The bedroom itself was breathtaking. Luxurious layers of cream curtains drew open over a curved wall of glass. A pewter silk embroidered comforter covered the bed. There were many, many pillows of different shapes and sizes mounded on the bed, too and it was lovely. I could just imagine how great Ranger would look in that bed. He'd better hurry, or we weren't going to make it to dinner….my imagination was driving me insane.

I spied the closet and opened it up. Wow. This guy knows how to spoil a girl – or at least whoever he had hired to do this did. The closet was basically an entire room of mahogany. It was filled with mahogany drawers, shelves, hanging bars, shoe racks and beautiful clothes. Ranger's side held 3 tuxedos, all black, what a surprise. He also had numerous suits in varying degrees of black and grey. Several button down dress shirts in white hung next to the suits. There were a few pairs of jeans, some slacks, two sets of SWAT clothes and some assorted items. He had about 10 different pairs of black shoes in the range to meet the clothing's needs.

On my side, that sounds funny, but I guess it is my side, afterall, there were eight different beautiful evening gowns with coordinating shoes and handbags. There was a mahogany jewelry chest filled with wonderful pieces. I assumed I was expected to try them on and take my pick of what to wear. Funny, my own clothes and things were unpacked, pressed, and hanging alongside the one's Ranger had arranged for.

I had a panic attack. Omigod, I hope Ella didn't do this herself. I didn't want to face her if she'd unpacked my panties, what little there was to speak of, and my naughty nighties. Oh, and I had also thrown in some assorted massage oils, and magic powders. Yikes. I was mortified all over again.

While I was busy silently being tortured by the thought of sweet little Ella unpacking my dirty little secrets, Ranger was putting his shoes on while sitting on the bed. Each pair of his shoes looked brand new, like he bought different ones for every day. He'd changed into some nice slacks and a Polo shirt. This was good. He wasn't getting too dressed up for tonight, so I had picked the right thing to wear. He looked good enough to eat, so to speak, and I was ready to roll.

He offered me his arm and wordlessly, we headed out to a little restaurant just around the corner. It was just a slight step from a Deli or Coffee Shop. I wasn't picky; just hungry. He ate salad; surprise, surprise. I had a burger and fries. I needed to keep my strength up for what I thought would come next.

"What's going on at work?" I was trying to make small talk.

"Nothing for you to worry about." Ranger answered. Typical – not sharing his thoughts.

"Um, I thought this little 'experience' was supposed to be a secret. I was surprised to see the guys and Ella."

"It is a secret. I didn't tell them what was going on. For all they know, you always travel with me when I go out of town. They have no idea about my agreement with Morelli. Ella knew you were coming in advance, but I couldn't exactly hide you from her. She is the one who always prepares everything for my trips."

"I don't think that's exactly what Morelli intended when he asked for it to be a secret, but okay. I can see your point."

"What Morelli thinks is the least of my worries." He said, looking directly at my face.

After we finished, he asked, "Would you care for some coffee or a drink, or are you ready to go back to the room?"

If I'd been here with Morelli, I would have said we should get some coffee to go and take a little walk around the area. But I wasn't here with Morelli. I was here with Ranger. I was far, far outside my comfort zone.

At least I didn't feel guilty. Joe had told me to do this. If I had been here with him and I said that I wanted to go back to the room, he would have been flattered. Since I was here with Ranger, I was very anxious to get back to the room. I didn't know what Ranger would think, though, and I didn't want to sound too anxious. I think he likes to be in control anyway. I needed to stop thinking about Morelli.

"Babe, that wasn't that hard a question to answer. You are thinking awfully hard about your answer."

I was again saying to myself - Stop thinking about Morelli. "Let's take a walk." I blurted out. Stop thinking about Morelli.

"Alright. I'm a little surprised. Somehow I expected you may be as anxious to get back to the hotel as I am. But we can take a walk if you want, Babe."

"Okay, I'm going to level with you." I looked into Ranger's dark eyes. "I think I am in the habit of thinking about Morelli when I'm with you in non-work situations." I was sort of stumbling over my words. "I don't feel guilty this time, but I can't stop thinking about him. Maybe if we take a walk and talk for a few minutes, I can settle down." STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM!

"I could make you forget about him faster if we just went back to the room, but if you want a walk, we can walk." He said, smiling.

We basically just walked in silence for a while. Ranger wasn't much of a hand holder or a conversationalist. He assumed the strong silent persona. He again offered me his arm and I took it. We walked for a while and at some point we turned a corner, and here we were back at the hotel. There was still no talking between us, each of us caught up in our own thoughts, but, at least I'd settled my nerves a bit by sucking in car fumes and listening to all the sounds of the city.

We went back up to the penthouse. Ranger excused himself to check messages. I excused myself to the bedroom. Someone had turned down the bed and I was still hoping it wasn't Ella. It looked very inviting. I thought I would change into something black, lacy, and revealing. I found just what I was looking for in one of the mahogany drawers in the closet. I had brought this little number with me. I never wore lingerie for Morelli. We judged the health our relationship as much by quantity as quality. Just seeing a negligee in a drawer or on the floor was enough to get Joe's motor started. UGH! Stop thinking about him!

I could tell by the look on Ranger's face when I sauntered back into the living area and across to get a bottle of water from the bar that he was taking in my outfit. He was definitely not thinking about Morelli. Neither was I.

He hung up the telephone and crossed the room to me. The negligee had done its job and actually stayed on much longer than I expected it to. Ranger said he liked it and could be creative in working his way around it and leaving it in place while not sacrificing my happiness in the least. He had just begun to kiss me and caress my back while walking me backwards toward the bedroom….

And then his cell phone rang. And then he answered it. And then he apologized and said he had to go the office. And then he was gone.

I had a fitful night. I couldn't sleep. I was in a terrible state. I watched the digital clock change for a long time. The last time I remember seeing it flick to a new time it was 4:22 a.m.

Friday

"Wake up. We have an early appointment today." Ranger.

I squinted at him and through gritted teeth said, "What appointment are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere this early."

"Come on, Babe." He grabbed me by the ankle and pulled me to him. "Just today and then you can sleep late on the weekend."

"What the hell kind of appointment do you have at 8 a.m. on Friday morning?" I asked, trying to claw my way back under the covers.

"Since I wasn't sure we were coming here until just a couple of days ago, I had to take an early appointment with my favorite personal trainer. Come on. Let's go." He was doing the dragging thing again and I was considering a well-placed kick.

"What? I don't work out at home. What makes you think I'm going to do that on my vacation?"

"This isn't vacation. This is you and I trying each other on for size, guilt free." He was smiling big. I couldn't say no. I went out on the boat with Joe and it was fun. STOP thinking about Joe.

"I don't even remember you coming in last night." I was still wearing everything I had been when he had gone to work last night. Part of me was relieved. I wasn't sure what part that was, but I was instantly aware of a few parts that were not at all relieved.

Ranger said, "I just got here. I haven't slept yet." I'll help you sleep later, I thought.

"Oh, you know what? I didn't bring any workout clothes. Sorry!" I sang as I hit the wonderful sheets again. "I'll be here waiting when you get done! I'll shower with you, how's that?" I figured flirting my help my case.

He walked to my new closet of clothes and dug around for a moment, pausing only briefly to stare open mouthed into the 'naughty' drawer, and then found a jogging bra, workout pants, and a tank top along with socks and cross trainers. He placed them carefully on the corner of the bed and proceeded to root me out again.

"Are you SURE you don't want to stay here with me?" I said, batting my eyes and aiming my breasts in his direction.

"I would really like to, however, my trainer is waiting. Come on. Now. We're going to be late. I don't like keeping people waiting." He obviously didn't mean me. He was very serious. This trainer must be really expensive. Morelli and I never make it anywhere on time. Everyone knows why – he is a sex fiend. That is common knowledge. Stop it. Do not think about him.

He continued to assess me as I dressed and threw my hair up in a pony tail. I haven't even had coffee, I pouted to myself. As if reading my mind he said, "Coffee isn't good for you before a workout. Ella just brought some juice and fruit if you want something light to eat on the way." He said, holding the door open for me. I stuck my tongue out at him and swished past him through the door to the elevator. He followed and grabbed my ass before hugging me to him. I was surprised. He was being playful. I'd never seen Ranger play. This could be fun after all.

The workout wasn't bad. I didn't hate it. I didn't like it, either. I wanted a donut. I wanted some coffee. I was trying hard not to whine. On the way back to the room from the gym, the chauffeur, bless her, had coffee and donuts waiting. I felt much better.

After a shower (alone, since he was again checking messages), I felt good as new. Our room had already been cleaned. I realized for the first time that all the accessories must have matched yesterday – all pewter and white. Today seemed to be red day. There were fresh red flowers, in chrome vases. There were beautiful coordinating sheets, comforter, pillows, and towels. Ooh. I loved this. Being pampered was pretty wonderful.

He, once again, appeared in the doorway. He had a scowl on his face. "There seems to be some sort of coordinated attack on Rangeman's clients. We had a number of simultaneous bombings overnight here in town as well as a number of threatening calls to other clients."

"Wow," I said. "Who do you think is behind it?"

He leaned against the doorframe and thought for a minute. A broad smile crossed his lips. "Morelli." Then he laughed loudly.

His answer made me laugh, too. Just the idea was ridiculous but it was a funny line. "I assume you are telling me you have to go to work." I said, pout obvious on my face.

"Yes. I will have to get some sleep sometime but I need to do some damage assessment and some public relations. Don't give up on me. We'll definitely have some time for….us…. this weekend. I'll try to get some rest at the office. I'll shower there and then I'll be back here by 6pm. We have reservations at Le Mer this evening. You'll want to select something nice to wear. Go shopping or to a museum this afternoon. Here's a Rangeman credit card. Buy yourself something nice. I'll send the car back here for you in an hour."

I was hoping he would ask me for a quickie, at least, but I remembered he said he didn't want to feel rushed. I was trying to be revved up and ready at any time since I had learned from the one time that I had been with him that he wasn't big on foreplay. As I recall, he said sometime like 'we are going to do this now and it is going to be good'. Not the best foreplay banter I've ever heard, but Ranger is a man of few words.

Before he left, Ranger explained that every time the private elevator moved a signal went to the staff and they would come in to straighten up and replenish supplies so I could expect someone to show up soon to replace the towels I had used for my shower.

Hmmm. I felt sort of funny about that idea. Someone was going to know every time we hit the hay because the bed was messed up. If we did the deed 10 times tomorrow, and used the elevator in between, they would have to make the bed 10 times. I was still terrified that it was Ella who was handling all this. I didn't want her to know…you know. That's like your Mom knowing. Ick. I didn't dare ask. Morelli would think this was hilarious.

Stop thinking about Morelli. Really. I am serious. Stop it.

Ranger gave me a nice kiss - no tongue – no wandering hands - and then disappeared into the elevator. He was certainly better at this self-control thing than I was. Soon, I was feeling a little lonely. I decided to dress for my outing, whatever that happened to be and then if I finished shopping or whatever early I could just have the driver take me to the Rangeman office. I could probably help there with something.

Sure enough, I was standing there in my tiny little red thong (in keeping with red day in the room) and a little barely there matching bra when Ella walked in carrying fresh towels. "Oh, Dear, I'm so sorry. I forgot you were staying here as well. I received notice that Ranger had left so I assumed the coast was clear." She just went on about her business. I went into the closet, closed the door and tried to have a full-blown panic attack without making any sound.

"Do the clothes I picked out for you fit okay?" She hollered from the bathroom.

"Great. Perfect. No problem at all. Really, Ella, you don't have to fuss over me. You don't need to come in here to clean up every time we go somewhere."

"Don't worry about it, Dear. This is my job. Ranger takes very good care of us and we try to take good care of him."

I was almost ready to go. I put on another coat of mascara and hit the door. I have never been so relieved to get out of somewhere in my life. Note to self: Avoid Ella at all costs. Forever. She knows WAY too much about you now. Omigod. What if Ranger and I got married someday and Ella met my mother? My mom would take one look at her and start quizzing her about our hygiene habits. Wait. Ranger and I married? What am I thinking? He said we were just trying each other on for size. I nearly laughed aloud at the idea of marrying Ranger.

Now, where to go? I am not a big museum person. I could just ask the driver to take me sightseeing, I guess. I finally decided to just wander around Chinatown for a while. The driver gave me her number to call when I needed a ride somewhere else. I messed around for a while and then had a bite to eat. I was lonely and out of sorts since I'd had myself so worked up all week and there had been no relief so far. I decided I wanted a nap and called the driver to come get me.

Laying in the darkened bedroom I still felt restless. I wanted to sleep and I was sleepy but I just couldn't fall the rest of the way into slumberland. What was wrong? I tossed and turned. Besides the fact that I was horny enough to screw any male that walked in the door… I got up and showered again, thinking maybe I could relax. I got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around me, and crashed again on the bed. I stretched and my neck popped, and then I realized what had been keeping me awake. Morelli, who I was definitely not thinking about, had suffered a broken right leg twice in his life. The first time was when I was eighteen; I had run him down with my dad's Buick. The second time was when a demented funeral director had run over Morelli while my Grandma Mazur and I were chasing him in Morelli's truck. Well, that made it sound like they were both my fault, but Morelli deserved the first one and I couldn't help it the second time.

Anyway, the result of these two incidents is that Morelli's leg makes noises when he stretches or moves in certain ways. After sitting still for a while, when he stretched or moved, his knee, ankle and toes would all pop and crackle – like someone cracking their knuckles and his hip would make a loud resounding 'thunk' sound when it popped. It was funny and I almost always would smile or giggle when I heard it. I had nicknamed him 'Rice Krispies" because he would snap, crackle and pop. When he walked barefoot, his ankle popped with every step – not when he had shoes on, but just when he was barefoot. He certainly couldn't sneak up on anyone barefoot.

The funniest thing of all was just after an orgasm, when his muscles relaxed after being so tense, all of his joints would pop almost in unison. Also, every time I rolled over or he snuggled up next to me in bed at night, I would hear these sounds. Over time I guess they had become comforting. I was missing Morelli joints popping. Who would have thought?

Ranger woke me up at 7:45p.m. "Babe, our dinner reservations are at 9:30 p.m. We need to be ready to leave soon."

I got up, stretched and felt good after my nap. "Did you get any sleep this afternoon?" I asked him, as I walked lazily to the closet to select a dress.

"A couple of hours. I think that barring any more emergencies, I should be able to make you my #1 priority now." He crossed the room to me, wrapped me in his arms and kissed me. "You will love Le Mer. It will be the perfect way to start our weekend together. I am sorry it will be compressed but I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you."

Ella had chosen eight beautiful gowns in different colors. Standing there, I couldn't help but think it looked like a box of crayons. There were black, red, blue, green, silver, gold, chocolate brown, and sort of a champaign color that reminded me of that whitish dress that Ginger always wore on Gilligan's Island. They were all gorgeous.

While Ranger was checking messages again, I set my hair in hot rollers and darted back to the room to select the underwear for the evening. I wanted to wear the chocolate colored dress. It was long, with a high slit in the side and it was strapless and slinky. A beautiful heart shaped beaded bodice topped it off. It was finished with a low back and a nipped waist. It fit perfectly. I thought I was looking pretty darn good. Ranger just said, "Damn" and then went in to get dressed after he saw me. I was wearing my hair piled on my head in big loopy curls and I had found some diamond chandelier earrings in the jewelry box Ella had left me. There was a matching necklace as well but I chose to leave it off. I didn't wear necklaces much anymore because Morelli told me that he liked my neck bare when my hair was up because it looked long and sexy.

Ranger was wearing a simple black tuxedo when we left for the evening. Pretty Woman, here we come. On the way to the restaurant, he put up the window behind the driver and served me Champaign. He whispered in my ear and I was definitely wishing we were on the way back to the room instead of on the way to the restaurant. We got to Le Mer just in time for our late evening dinner reservation. It was a lovely place with what seemed like millions of little twinkle lights set against the black ceiling. It reminded me of the stars in Cancun. Nope. Not going there.

Ranger ordered for us in French. I had no idea what I was eating but it was probably healthy. It tasted okay and I didn't want to eat too much anyway. The burger last night had left me a bit sluggish, not that it had been a big loss. I just didn't want to make that mistake again.

We danced. He was charming and attentive, but not at all talkative. That was no surprise with Ranger. When he talked it was usually to answer a direct question. Most of the time he placed a limit on the number of questions I could ask in a given conversation. Tonight, he just changed the subject when I hit one he didn't like.

He'd ordered a lovely bouquet of ivory colored roses for me and they were delivered as soon as we arrived. He seemed to know everyone here. I guess I always thought he worked 24-7 and didn't have a social life. I suppose he just didn't have a Trenton social life. He went elsewhere. I was surprised so many people stopped by the table to visit with him and say hello. I was equally surprised that he didn't introduce me to anyone who stopped. I decided not to get my feelings hurt. We were from different places – different backgrounds – different cultures. If he was from the Burg, like someone else who I am not thinking about, he would have bent over backwards to make sure he was watching his manners and introduce me to everyone who so much as made eye contact.

No dessert. Oh, well, I was counting on the dessert that was waiting at the hotel. Ranger.

On our way out the door of Le Mer, a beautiful Hispanic woman approached us. "Carlos," she said. "I haven't seen you in ages." He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Babe." He took her hand and started asking about mutual friends.

What? Did he say 'Babe'? Oh, I was getting a sick feeling. I thought I was the only Babe he had. Is Babe a code word or a classification, because I guess it isn't a name. When did he start calling me Babe? Was it after the time we slept together? Maybe that's what it was. Okay it was foolish for me to think that this handsome, sexy, built man was celebate except for the one time he had been with me in the past year.

Okay, I have to think about Joe for just a minute. He'd slept with half of the females in New Jersey, it seemed, at one point or another. We bumped into at least three former girlfriends of his every time we went to the carwash, let alone out to do something fun. Chances are if there are 5 women together between the ages of 28 – 40, he knew at least two of them in the biblical sense. If they were all from the Burg, it would be four. But he never acted funny about it. He just sort of went on with his life and made sure I knew he was glad to be with me now. I could guarantee I was his only Cupcake.

How many Babe's are there? I wondered. Was this the only one here tonight or just the only one who spoke to us? My questions were soon answered when I heard him greet the second and third woman he called 'Babe' as we waited for our car. I was feeling light-headed.

Ranger interrupted my thought process by putting his hand in the small of my back and guiding me to the car. "Unfortunately, we need to go by the office. Tank's really in a bind. He seldom calls on me so I know it is important. I won't be long." He explained.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'd like to just go back to the room." I managed. I wanted to ask about the Babe thing. I couldn't. I had obviously built this thing with Ranger up way bigger than I should have. I was so STUPID. He had told me he didn't want a relationship. He had said his life wasn't cut out for it. I'm just not the type of person who is cut out for casual sex. I have the values that are pounded into little girls in the Burg. Although I have sex with Morelli, we are, at least monogamous.

"Alright," he said. "We'll drop you off at the room. I'll be back from the office in an hour or so." Just before I got out of the car he asked, "Is everything alright, Babe? You seem unusually quiet." He's one to talk, I thought.

"I'm fine, really. Just a little tired."

I went to the room and took my hair down. I removed my makeup. I put on a t-shirt and cried myself to sleep. I woke up with a start at about 4:00 a.m. Had I heard something? It was Ranger coming in. He was dressed in black SWAT. "I hate to do this, Babe." He said. "I am going to have to make a quick trip to Atlanta. We have trouble there. I should be back by tomorrow afternoon." Even in the darkened room he looked exhausted. He gave me a kiss, and left. Great. Even better. This couldn't get any worse.

I wanted to be mad at him. I couldn't. This had been his idea. He had tried. It wasn't his fault that his business was under attack and that he had to be there to rescue everything.

Now, I'm here, in this beautiful hotel room, all alone. I was feeling really rotten and thinking I was really, really a moron for doing this. I kept thinking back to Ranger's earlier comment. This isn't a vacation. This is you and I trying each other on for size. All of a sudden, he didn't fit me. I don't know why he ever thought I would fit him.

Morelli used to give me ultimatums. He doesn't do that anymore. He used to ask me to change for him. He doesn't do that, either. We actually sort of fit now. Neither of us had to change. It just worked.

As for Ranger, one of us would have to change. I needed someone I could talk to and someone who would be committed to me. He needed someone who would be okay with being one of his several Babes and someone who would be okay being second, third or fourth in his life. That's not me.

SATURDAY

I waited until morning. I needed a walk. I wanted to go over to Rangeman's office. It wasn't too far. I got some coffee and some donuts and walked over. I met Ella in the lobby. She was probably going over to clean our room.

"Ella, I'm glad to see you. I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Do you have time? I asked.

"Of course. What can I do for you?" She said.

"Well, I'm cutting the trip short. Ranger got called to Atlanta and I have things I need to do back at home. Can you get the driver to take me back?"

"I am so sorry you are going to miss the Broadway show tonight. It's opening night and this is supposed to be a wonderful production. The tickets cost a fortune. I guess I'll need to find Ranger another date." She said the last words like she was just making a mental note. "I'll call the driver for you now. Did you pack your bag or would you like me to do that for you?"

"I packed what I wanted to keep. You can do whatever you want with the rest." I had decided to donate the lingerie and assorted naughty accessories to Ranger's magic closet. I didn't need them.

"The driver will be here in 15 minutes. The traffic won't be bad this time of day." She informed me. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"No. I'll manage. Thanks, Ella. Oh, here are the keys." I hugged her and handed her the keys on the silver key ring.

"Here, I'll take the keys off and give you the keychain back. It's fine, I have a whole box of them. It will be a nice keepsake for you." She handed it back to me.

I settled in a chair in the lobby to wait for the car.

Joe answered his cell phone, "Morelli".

"Hi, Joe. How are you?" I asked. Really at a loss for words.

"Hey Cupcake. I'm exhausted. What's up? Are you okay?" He asked, concern audible in his voice.

"Fine, fine. Really. Just wanted to hear your voice." I was barely able to speak.

"Listen, I'm on stakeout. I'm sort of busy. Our guy seems to be getting ready to move. As long as your okay, you know, Ranger's and my agreement was that neither of us would talk to you until 7 days after his time was up. Wait a minute….this is still Saturday. You still have another day and a half with him. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Perfectly fine." I said.

"Okay, well, I'm not going to violate my agreement with Ranger by talking to you. I'll talk to you next week. Take care of yourself." He disconnected.


	5. Resolution The Weekend

The Resolution – The Weekend

I waited until I was all settled in the car and was heading toward home. I put the window up between the driver and I. I dialed Ranger's cell phone. "Yo." My heart stopped.

I still wanted to mean something to him. Something more than anyone else meant. "Ranger, I just wanted to tell you I am sorry that the weekend didn't turn out the way you planned. I had a nice time seeing you anyway. I wish it could have been different but I am going to go ahead and go back home. Are we okay?" I couldn't believe I had gotten the words out. I was afraid he would hear the tremble in my voice.

He let out an audible sigh. "Yes. We are okay. I was hoping you would wait for me but I understand your decision. I was thinking maybe we could try this again. Morelli won't like it but there's not much he can do about it if you want to go."

I hadn't expected him to say that. "Well, no, I don't think that would be a good idea." Unfortunately I think I learned my lesson. Ranger had told me once that I owned 30 of a cop – Morelli. I knew I would never own one darn bit of Ranger. He was his own man and that's what attracted me to him, probably, in the first place.

"Okay, Babe. I'll talk to you later in the week."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to talk to either of you for a week after your weekend was up." I said.

"Right. Okay." I don't think Ranger usually considers rules much when he conducts his life.

I got back to my apartment. It felt good to be home. I wanted Rex, however. I missed him. Morelli was keeping him for me and I couldn't talk to him, so I was out of luck.

I went to the office and grabbed the skip pile that had stacked up since I had been taking time off. I had a really productive remainder of the weekend by picking up 4 skips before Monday morning. Another 3 on Monday and 2 more on Tuesday meant that my week was looking great. Not to mention the fact that my bank account was looking better than it had in some time. Wednesday was not good at all. I ended up in the garbage by noon so I decided to take the rest of the day off to spend with my Mom and Grandmother. Thursday was even worse. Looked like my luck had run out. I had to stay busy or it would drive me crazy that I couldn't call Morelli and make sure we were still okay.

I was cruising around on Friday looking for Jerry Maburi, an arsonist who was known to hang out on Stark Street, and of course, got myself into trouble. True to his arsonist's nature, Maburi set my car on fire while I was in his building asking his neighbors questions. I had just filled it with gas, so the explosion was spectacular. I knew Morelli had to be getting notification of the incident because he says he gets lots of calls when my cars blow up. I was hoping he'd come check on me and I could see him. My buddy Carl Costanza pulled up to watch the firetrucks and said, "I guess you really put your foot in it with Morelli this time. I've never seen him pack up and leave town when you guys break up."

"What do you mean? Where did he go?" I asked.

"Don't know. He just asked for a couple of days off and left yesterday morning. I saw a suitcase in his SUV and Eddie Garza is taking care of the dog and a hamster. Morelli's cases were really heating up and he was going crazy trying to keep on top of everything but then he just left."

That's odd and it seems very out of character for Morelli. It really had my curiosity peaked. "Do you know when he's coming back?" I asked.

"He's got court on Monday morning so he'll have to come home by Sunday night. That's all I know." Carl got called over to his squad car by his partner and I grabbed my cell to call Eddie. I wanted Rex and Bob to come stay with me. He agreed and said his wife (my cousin, Shirley the whiner) was home and would be happy to give them both to me.

I drove by Morelli's house several times on Saturday. I wanted to see him so much. It had been a week since I'd left NY, so I thought that, technically, I could talk to him today.

Finally, when I drove by around 6 p.m. his truck was out front. I slammed my car to the curb and practically ran as fast as Bob did to Morelli's front door. I rang the bell and held my breath. When Morelli answered the door I thought he was looking pretty damn good. He was wearing slacks and brown dress shoes. He'd unbuttoned and untucked the buttondown shirt he was wearing and he had on a t-shirt underneath. His hair was cut and he was eating peanut butter from the jar with a spoon. "Hi." I said, all bright and cheery. Bob tackled Joe. Joe responded by giving Bob an enthusiastic hug and full body rub. I should be so lucky.

"Hi. Thanks for bringing Bob by. I just came by the house to change clothes and grab something to eat. I need to get back to work in just a few minutes." He was looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. Taking in every detail. "Listen, I would really like to talk to you. I need to know your decision and stuff, but I'm really swamped. Can you come over, maybe tomorrow night and we can talk?"

I knew he was trying to read my face to see if I'd chosen to continue a relationship with Ranger or not. "Sure, I can come then, or we could talk even tonight when you get off work."

"Honey, I'm not trying to put you off. I haven't slept much in a while and I have so much work to do. Tell you what, I have about 15 minutes and I was hoping to toss some clothes in the washing machine before I go. I've got nothing clean. Come downstairs with me and talk to me while I do that." He grabbed his suitcase that was sitting next to the front door and headed toward the cellar stairs at the back of the house. He had a little dingy laundry room set up in his cellar and I followed him down the stairs. I wanted more time to talk to him than we'd have now.

"So, where have you been? I didn't know you were going out of town. Did you have to follow a suspect or something?" I was trying to make small talk.

Morelli was looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "You mean that sorry SOB didn't tell you? CRAP! First he has this stupid idea, then he jumps the gun and pisses you off so you were mad at me before I could tell you what was going on with the weekend thing, and now he didn't tell you the one freaking thing he said he would take care of. DAMN!" Morelli was throwing clothes from the suitcase into the washing machine like they were baseballs. He was really angry. "No, ma'am. I am not bailing his ass out of this sling. He will have to tell you himself." He handed me his cell phone. "Call him."

"What?" I asked.

"Call Ranger. Tell him that I am not going to talk to you until he tells you what he needs to tell you. Shit. I can't believe this guy." He had finished unpacking clothes into the wash and was now tossing his shoes and a suit into a pile in the corner.

"His voicemail picked up." I said. "What are those?" I knew what they were. There were condoms in his suitcase.

"Oh, no. You do not get to question me or accuse me. Don't get all girly freaky on me." He was calming down now. "Okay, those are just still in there from when we went to Cancun." He was smiling. "I just never took them out."

"No. We didn't use condoms in Cancun. I'm on the pill."

"But I didn't know that. We'd been split for a while before, remember? I had to ask you if we needed them. I was just being prepared in case we did." He sighed. "If you don't believe me, count 'em. There are 12 in a box. They are all there."

I jumped off the dryer where I'd been perched. Okay 3, 6, 9…."There are 3 missing."

"There can't be. Keep looking." He was playing with Bob, who had followed us downstairs.

"Okay, here are 2 more in this little pocket. There's still one missing."

"Well, I don't know where it is. I guess you are just going to have to trust me. I don't know how to prove to you that I haven't been with anyone else." About that time, Bob barfed up a condom and a lot of slime on Morelli's foot. Bob to the rescue. "See, I told you. 12."

"I will go now since you have to go to work." I said. "I'll call Ranger later and ask him what it is he is supposed to tell me."

"Okay. You need to know that before you tell me whatever it is you are going to tell me." He said, smiling.

SUNDAY

I was still in shock. Ranger had returned my call Saturday night late. We talked for a while. The last piece of the puzzle was firmly in place. It sounded like a bad Western movie, but Morelli and Ranger had decided that this town wasn't big enough for the both of them. Ranger liked larger cities and the lifestyle he could have in them. He was moving to Atlanta. He had sold the Trenton Rangeman office. Morelli had lined up a job in Washington D.C. It had been available to him for a long time, but he had gone to talk to them about it and get the details settled. He hadn't accepted the offer yet, but my decision would help him make up his mind.

Ranger would be gone in less than a month, regardless of my choice, and I was welcome to come with him. If I wanted to give Morelli and fidelity a shot, he'd probably stay here since both of our families are here and we both liked it here pretty well. If I chose not to go back to Morelli, he'd probably move to D.C. because he thought it would just be too painful to stay. I guess another option was to move with him to D.C. and we could both have a fresh start.

I needed to go see Joe tonight so we could talk about things.

I was still confused. Had Ranger done this to show me what his life is really like? Had he really been trying me on for size or was he just proving to me that we didn't fit? Since he'd already made up his mind to go, was he just letting me off the hook or did he really want me to go with him?

Regardless, I knew I wanted to be with Joe. I had missed him so much since I couldn't see him. My arms, lips and the rest of my body wanted to be with him so much. I wanted to feel the weight of him on me. I wanted to feel his breath on my neck. My uterus was aching to carry his child. (I was hoping my uterus would wake up and change its mind soon.)

I was finally ready to tell him that I loved him and that I wanted to be with him forever. I'd see him tonight. Yes! Maybe this grown-up thing isn't so bad after all.


	6. The end of the weekend

The End – The Weekend

I was waiting for Joe when he got home from work just after 5 on Sunday. I was thinking about the fact that he worked, seemingly, all the time, when he pulled up.

"Hey, how are you?" He said, dragging himself out of the SUV. "I just called for Pino's to deliver pizza. It should be here in just a few minutes. I need to let Bob out for a few minutes." He unlocked the door and Bob bounded out of the house.

"Tell me what you need to tell me." He said, turning his attention fully to me abruptly. He moved to sit down on the small cement steps in front of his house. Bob came and dropped a tennis ball at his feet and he threw it halfway down the block for Bob to chase. At this point I was standing with my back up against the brick on the outside wall of his house, watching Bob frolic and play up and down the street. If I was teetering on the edge, I think this playful action would have helped me make up my mind.

"First, I want some information from you. Not that it will change my mind, I just want to know. Tell me about this job in D.C." I said, moving to sit next to him.

"Well, what do you want to know?" He was smiling his nicest smile, with eyes and everything. "I've been contacted by them several times in the past few years. I've never been ready to go. Until now…maybe." He was looking at his feet, where Bob had again deposited the ball. I felt the movement of Joe's body as he heaved the ball for Bob again.

"It's a promotion. All vice work, which is what I like. I'd lead a team of investigators. They assign certain teams to certain districts of the city instead of being at large like we are here. I think that would be beneficial. The pay is quite a bit more, but so is the caseload, believe it or not. They have not had a lot of luck growing their own team of investigators, so they want to bring in ten of us with good records from all over the country. I think I could learn a lot from a group of successful investigators."

I loved this man. "What would I do if we went to Washington D.C.?"

"We?" He asked. "Well, it was a bit of a surprise, but after my interview, Stevenson, the lady who offered me the position, said they had heard a lot about you, too. I guess when they were checking my background and credentials they heard that I had a badass girlfriend." He laughed. "I'm not surprised that you are legendary. She asked me if I took the position if I thought you might be interested in coming to D.C. as well, for a job on the force." I was smiling and thinking this could be an interesting turn of events.

Joe continued. "You'd have to go to the police academy and then spend a year in uniform, like anyone else, but then you'd have a spot reserved for you in Vice."

"I'd work for you?" I didn't think that would work very well, unless everyone wanted to see us fight.

"No. Definitely not. You'd be on another Vice squad. Not on mine." He was smiling a big smile and had his hands around my waist. "I'd never be able to break you of your bad habits. You know, breaking and entering, carrying concealed…I could go on, but I don't want to ruin our evening. However, I think we may have some things to discuss, Cupcake."

"I am tired of talking," I said as I wrapped my arms around his body. "I've missed you, Joe."

"I've missed you, too, Cupcake. Welcome home."


End file.
